


More than Bargained For

by writteninweakness



Series: Things Lost in the Fire Detective AU [2]
Category: Amnesia (Game & Anime), Collar x Malice (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Banter, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brothers, Case Fic, Crossover, Established Relationship, F/M, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Orion is human, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship, Sequel, Some Humor, Team as Family, Threats, set in the detective au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-31 01:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21437719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writteninweakness/pseuds/writteninweakness
Summary: After Ichika is abducted and collared, she and Yanagi seek out help from a forensics expert who is technically not with the police. Of course, since the recommendation they got was for Kent, things get complicated and the whole task force ends up involved.(They're nosy that way.)
Relationships: Heroine & Orion (Amnesia), Heroine/Kent (Amnesia), Hoshino Ichika/Yanagi Aiji, Ikki & Kent (Amnesia)
Series: Things Lost in the Fire Detective AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1315934
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have been thinking about writing a crossover like this since I first finished Collar x Malice. I had already created my detective universe for Amnesia where all the guys were on a task force, and it seemed simple enough to do a crossover. I ended up working on a lot of different AUs and even fandoms instead, and I never started it. 
> 
> Lately, though, I was missing this universe a lot, and I also had some reasons to revisit Collar x Malice again, and I still don't know that I know Aiji's character or Ichika's very well. I tried a couple of other pieces and came back to this. I do feel comfortable writing for most Amnesia characters, if nothing else, so it's a nice safety net as I explore others.
> 
> As this is not related to the first case, I don't think it's necessary to read all of that fic, though it may not hurt, either. The main points aside from the full case are kind of covered in the first chapter, I believe, but if one wants some of them before reading it, see the end note.
> 
> Though there are some similarities to how Yanagi and Ichika cross paths again, their case does not follow the plot of the game beyond how she was abducted and introduced to him and his team. There is no Adonis or X-Day.

* * *

“I don’t know if we should do this, Yanagi. They did tell us no police.”

He nodded, well aware of that. He hadn’t forgotten the warning the terrorists had given them when they made their latest threat. Most of their initial crimes had been overlooked, their actions put down as a prank with some crazy taking credit for them, but they’d grown increasingly bold as time went on. He’d quit his job over it, not willing to stay when this sort of thing was ignored and reckless orders were being given.

And then the terrorists had gone and made it personal.

He glanced towards the woman next to him. Her hand was up on the scarf around her throat again. She didn’t even realize how often she did that.

He didn’t know how they’d found her, how they’d even known about the connection between them, or if she was their target all along. They’d still thrown her in his path, forcing both of them to relive their nightmares. When he found her, she was almost dead, and with that thing they’d put around her neck, that could still happen at any time.

“They also told us to investigate.”

She nodded, though he knew his words didn’t relieve her fears. This was still a risk. Unless they found a way of getting that thing off of her, everything they did—or didn’t do—could mean her death.

She might have said more, but the door in front of them swished open, revealing a man standing in the doorway who was nearly as tall as it was. “You must be lost. And I do not have the time or the inclination to direct you anywhere.”

Yanagi looked him over. That was definitely the one from the papers, as much as he’d been camera shy and trying to avoid all media coverage. The case was too big for that, and since it involved the murder of a well-known prosecutor who happened to be his mother, there was no burying it. His photograph was everywhere after his seeming return from the dead.

“You’re Mizutani. Sakuragawa said she’d contacted a friend of yours who was supposed to tell you we were coming.”

“If by ‘friend’ you mean Shin, he did say someone wanted to talk to me. I told him no, though I doubt he bothered to inform her or you of my answer.” The other man adjusted his glasses. “I do not wish to talk to anyone, even if you do not look like reporters. In fact, you look like cops, which just makes it worse.”

Yanagi smiled while Hoshino stared at him in disbelief. “I’m not a cop anymore. I do need to know if you are, though.”

“If you know of me, you know I am not actually considered an officer of the police department. I was hired as a forensic technician, and I later became the head of the lab in this precinct, but I have not been for over two years. Though, technically—owing mostly to my supervisor’s stubbornness—I am still employed by the police department. I do not have shifts or regular hours. I am simply on the payroll because he refuses to accept my resignation.”

“You do work as a consultant now, though.”

“Provisionally,” Mizutani agreed. “And when I find out who told you that, we will have a very long and unpleasant discussion.”

Hoshino actually laughed, but when Mizutani looked at her, she swallowed and sobered up. “Do those provisions include stopping terrorists?”

Mizutani reached over to the keypad beside the door. “Explain. Preferably quickly.”

Yanagi watched her, waiting for a sign that the terrorists had heard and chosen to stop them, but she did not so much as jerk. She did look to him at the same time as Mizutani did, though she was far less impatient than he was.

“We need an independent forensic expert to evaluate some new evidence that we are not allowed to take to the police,” Yanagi explained. He didn’t know if he should say more than that. “We were told you had your own lab and could run most of them yourself.”

Mizutani frowned. “Not allowed to take to the police? In a terrorism case? I do not find these sort of pranks amusing. Tell Shin he failed and not to bother trying again.”

“Wait, we’re not—”

The door had already shut before Hoshino was able to finish speaking. Yanagi grimaced, deeply regretting his decision to quit smoking last year. He could use a cigarette right about now.

* * *

Ichika had to wonder if Kotoho had chosen someone difficult on purpose. She was probably annoyed because they couldn't tell her anything. She was half-tempted to text her now and tell her just how frustrating he was, but maybe that was what her friend wanted.

Shaking her head, Ichika moved to press the doorbell again, but Yanagi caught her arm to stop her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She drew in a breath, knowing she had to convince him as well now, and she’d been the one with doubts before, so she couldn’t blame him for being skeptical. Still, the man her friend Kotoho had referred them to was probably the only one who could help them. Without going to the police, they had no way to test what little evidence they had. They both knew that, which was why she’d asked Kotoho in the first place.

“I know he didn’t believe us, but I don’t think we could have expected anything else with how little we told him,” Ichika said. She wanted to believe that if they were honest, they could get his help. “Do you?”

Yanagi looked away, and she had a feeling he agreed, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“I know we can’t go to the police. I know I’m not supposed to tell anyone about what they did, but they also said that they wanted us to investigate. So I… I think we have to risk a bit more,” she said. She took a breath and let it out. “It’s not that I want to die. I don’t want to be reckless about this, but you heard him—he’s not police in a traditional sense. He may be the only option we have because we can’t go to anyone in the department. Kotoho said that even though he was… pretty uptight, his team was known for bending the rules when they needed to, so he must be at least a little flexible. She also said anyone who worked with Toma and Shin for as long as he had without one of them dying almost had to be a saint.”

Yanagi’s lips curved into a smile. “Strange definition of a saint.”

She found herself smiling back at him. Yanagi had a way of putting everyone around him at ease. He was a sort of natural leader, she’d seen that with the men he worked with, but with her it seemed like more than that. From the first time they met, she’d felt comfortable with him, as if that wasn’t their first meeting at all.

She had been trying to ask about it ever since, but they weren’t alone often before today, and he’d always managed to change the subject when they were. She could ask now, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

“We can tell him the truth—it came from a victim the terrorists abducted and left for dead,” she said, and Yanagi nodded, though she swore she saw him grimace, too. She’d noticed he was a bit protective of her—maybe like a younger sister since he was the oldest of the group and like an older brother or father to the others? “That same victim didn’t see anyone and the only voice heard was distorted somehow, so it could be anyone. Most likely a man because the victim was carried from where they were taken to where they were discovered, and there did seem to be some kind of ritual to that, not that we know for sure that is what it was.”

Yanagi nodded. “It’s a start.”

She reached for the doorbell again, pushing the button she’d used before, and this time it opened much faster.

“I could ask you why you’re still on my doorstep, but I am not an idiot and already reached the obvious conclusion. You want to ask again. You should know that the answer is still no.”

“What do you know about the group known as Zeroes?”

“If you wished to persuade me to assist you, that was the wrong choice to make. I have not followed much in the way of current events in the past two years, but even I am aware that their existence is considered a conspiracy theory such as only I could create. I am not amused. Please leave before I summon real police to remove you.”

“What you found in Kyoto wasn’t a conspiracy,” Yanagi said. “You built a theory on evidence you found, and it was right. You were dealing with a serial killer who got away with murder for years by making his crimes look like they weren’t crimes at all. From what I read, though, it should have been just as obvious to the investigators of the case you used as your original basis. He was dead before the fire he supposedly set. She wasn’t. She inhaled smoke. He didn’t.”

Mizutani nodded. “That much is true.”

“We have trace evidence from a victim who was abducted by people claiming to be Zeroes. Can you analyze it for us?”

“I could, in theory, yes.” Mizutani looked them over. “However, in practice, I still see no reason to do so. You could be claiming anything, and if you are here at the urging of others… You should know that my opinion as a forensics expert has been called into question more than once recently. It would seem that my prolonged absence, my supposed ‘paranoia’ that ‘creates’ conspiracies, and the fact that I was forced to end someone’s life in self-defense make me… suspect.”

Yanagi didn’t seem surprised to hear that. “Can you still do your job?”

“Arguably, yes.”

“Then that’s all we care about,” Yanagi said. “You don’t have to give us anything more than results we can’t get anywhere else. Private forensics firms are too expensive, and taking the evidence to the police would mean at least one life. We need you to do this for us.”

“I should point out the expense of my own tests, but I fail to see why you cannot simply ask for the department to assist you. Did you leave in such a manner that no one will speak to you? Why not use her since you never said she wasn’t on active duty? And do not say they simply threatened to kill more. That is a foolish reason to hold back—more will die because of your inaction. As long as such persons are free, civilians are in danger.”

“I know.” Yanagi didn’t even look at her this time. “They have a woman as a hostage. If we do anything they haven’t agreed to, they’ll kill her. They can do it remotely, and they are monitoring our actions. That is why we need someone in your position—you have the skills, knowledge, and equipment we need but are not actively part of the police force.”

“It does sound as if I am uniquely qualified for the role, yes, and yet that in of itself gives me some reason to doubt. Since when would such a position be necessary?”

“I believe the Zeroes are a real threat and not the joke the higher ups and media are making them out to be,” Yanagi said. “I also believe they have infiltrated the police force. Even if they hadn’t specifically warned us against going to them, I’d have hesitated to go to the police with what little we do have. It might even be nothing, but they _did_ abduct her.”

“It is likely they left something of themselves behind, yes. It may not be of any use, but it is still worth examining the evidence.”

“So will you?” Ichika asked, her hand on the scarf covering the collar around her neck again. If he didn’t, then they’d exposed their plan for no reason and she could actually die. She tried not to let the fear get to her. She was doing as much as she could already to end this nightmare and free herself.

“I suppose I have some time now. I can at least see if it is badly contaminated.”

* * *

Reluctantly, Kent led the others down to his lab. He could have left them in any number of rooms in the house if he chose, but he would rather they not be anywhere unsupervised. When the door had closed earlier, he had confirmed with Shin about the people who supposedly wished to speak to him, and he did agree it was likely this couple, but Kent could not be certain, and even if it was, that did not mean they needed to see everything in his home.

Even he did not need to see that. Given the propensity of some of his current houseguests to leave anything and everything about, including articles of clothing that he had no desire to see, Kent was starting to feel that only his lab was free of such offending objects. Orion was still a child, so his tendency toward chaos and mess was understandable, but Kokoa’s friends were adults and did not need to leave their clothes everywhere.

He did regret agreeing to let them stay while they looked for new jobs after the loss of the cafe. He would much rather they were not here to clutter up everywhere with strange feminine items or whatever else Sawa might have lost. Even having most of Kokoa’s things in his personal space was not as disagreeable as the sheer lack of propriety the other two showed—though in Sawa’s case it seemed to be a matter of her being scatterbrained in nature. Mine, on the other hand, completely lacked shame.

It also did not help that Ikkyu frequently dropped by unannounced and tried to flirt his way into sleepovers. Kent knew they were adults and free to engage in whatever behavior they might choose, but he drew the line at Ikkyu using his house for sex. He had a home of his own for that.

He pulled on a set of gloves and took the sealed bag out from inside the larger paper one. Someone had made some attempt to preserve whatever forensics might be present. He spread the blouse out over the counter, noting that it was standard issue for a female police officer. Interesting. The woman, then, was the actual victim. They did not actually expect him to fail to notice that, did they?

He reached up to change the light source just as the door opened behind him.

“Kent, I did it! I got in!” Kokoa had closed the distance in no time at all, flinging herself at him and holding on tight. “They’re letting me take classes! I can finish my degree.”

He could not help but smile at her sudden, reckless enthusiasm. “I never doubted that you could. They would have been fools to reject you, though I do not believe anyone would have permitted it, to be honest. If certain parties knew, after all, the consequences for those idiots would be severe.”

She laughed. “Oh, please. Toma’s harmless, and Shin is all bark, no bite.”

“I have to disagree with you on both counts, having worked with them, and I would not limit the protective instinct towards you to them alone. Waka and Ikkyu are also fond of you. Even Ukyo would stand up for you in his way. And just because your brother is younger does not mean he would not fight for you.”

“True, but aren’t you forgetting someone? What about you?”

“I suppose I might have had to point out their errors in judgment as well as a few other critical mistakes on their curriculum. After all, if a place of education cannot actually be said to educate, it is a failure and should be closed.”

She giggled. “It’s so like you to win by being smarter. It’s adorable.”

She was not alone in her amusement. It would seem both of his guests were as well, even as Kent had to shake his head.

“Can we celebrate? Maybe… well, everyone loves your cooking, and I do, too, but… maybe we could go out for a change? Ooh, there’s that place that has that dance floor with those exhibitions on dance and it’s so beautiful, at least on television, and I’d love to see it in person. Can we?”

“It would be your celebration, so it seems best to do what you wish. You can see to whatever arrangements are necessary—if you insist on mentioning it to Ikkyu and the others, do not fight him about paying for it because otherwise he’ll be impossible and sulk all night until he’s drunk enough to be ridiculous.” Kent leaned his head against hers for a minute. “I do need to finish this first, though.”

She tensed, looking back in horror. “Oh. You’ve got guests. And you’re working. I didn’t even notice. I was so excited. I am so sorry. I just… I wanted to share it with you and… I… I don’t think I’ve ever known you to let anyone in here that’s not on the team, and they all seem to come at once, but there was no sign of them in the house, so… um… Sorry. Again.”

The other woman smiled, shaking her head. “It sounds like you got good news. Congratulations.”

Her companion said nothing, just nodded with a smile that might not have been genuine.

“I am doing a bit of consulting,” Kent said, taking off his gloves and throwing them away. He used his hand to touch Kokoa’s hair for a moment. “I am glad you were able to enroll, and I do wish to celebrate. I will collect some samples and prepare the tests before we do anything for dinner. Also, you should probably inform your brother, as he will be quite disappointed that you did not tell him first.”

She flushed a little. She stepped up and kissed Kent’s cheek. After she came down, she gave him a small smile. “I had to tell you first. For so many reasons. Not just the house and the stability or the shirts I keep stealing, so many more.”

He shook his head again, reaching for a new set of gloves. “I believe you make too much of what I do. Or have done. Still, there’s a lot for you to do, and I have work, so I will find you when I am done.”

“Okay.” She looked over at the others. “Again, sorry for interrupting.”

She rushed off, and Kent sighed as he pulled on a new glove.

“She’s very sweet.”

“I would prefer it if you did not talk,” Kent said. “If you do not wish to be silent, you are free to leave. Now that she is home, she can show you out.”

* * *

“Ugh. Remind me never to do anyone a favor again.”

Toma laughed, leaning against the wall as Shin put his phone away in disgust. He’d been in a mood since they got this assignment—Shin never liked pretending to be a drug dealer, even if he had the perfect personality for it according to some television shows—but this was different.

“I’m still having trouble believing you did a favor for anyone,” Toma said. “Unless it’s for Kokoa. Little sister and her brother do manage to get a few things even from the stone that is Shin.”

“I am so going to hit you,” Shin muttered, shaking his head. “I swear, working with Ikki would be better than this and your stupid ‘I know everything about you because I’m your brother’ act. Screw that. You don’t know me as well as you think you do. Waka might, but then Waka’s a scary bastard who is somehow omnipotent and omnipresent, so whatever.”

Toma smiled at that description of their captain. The rumors about Waka were plenty, but almost everyone agreed he was former military, most said he was an assassin or a spy, maybe both. He came and went like a ninja, always sneaking up on everyone. Kent was about the only one who didn’t react to Waka’s sudden arrivals, but that was because he had some weird math voodoo he used to predict when Waka would arrive—and when it came to Kent and math, he was almost never wrong.

“And I do know people outside you idiots,” Shin went on. “It’s not like I’d do you any favors anyway, but you know they sent me to work at other places before.”

Toma did. He’d gone with a few times, too. They’d been pulled because the other officers in the area were too well known for undercover work, which remained their specialty. Few could read Toma at all, and Shin was such a grumpy bastard he fit the stereotype for plenty of criminals.

“Kind of risky to be doing favors for departments when we’re under.”

Shin grunted. “You try ignoring Sakuragawa and see what it gets you.”

Toma snorted. “It’s hilarious you can’t deal with a female version of you.”

“Screw you, Toma.”

He just smiled. “What favor did you do for her anyway?”

Shin grimaced. “She had a friend who needed a forensics expert that wasn’t part of the police. I figured she knew who those people were better than I did, which I told her—”

“And she already had someone in mind and just wanted you to put her friends in touch with Kent.”

Shin rolled his eyes but nodded. “Yeah. She did. And now Kent’s pissed off because he thought it was a prank, she’s mad because Kent refused to help her friends, and somehow in all this I am still the bad guy.”

“Did you remind Kent it wasn’t a prank?” Toma knew Kent could use the work. He was still barely leaving his house, though with the amount of reporters that gathered after the news about their last case broke, it wasn’t much of a surprise.

“No,” Shin muttered, clearly annoyed as his phone went off again. He started scrolling through messages. “Of course I did. I guess he did go ahead and help them. He also says I hang out with highly suspicious people, and this time he doesn’t mean you.”

“Ha ha, cute.”

“And Kokoa wants to celebrate. She got back into college to finish her degree.”

Toma frowned, checking his phone for a message. “Why did she tell you that and not me?”

“Ikki told me that. He said she’d picked out where we’re going, he’s made the reservation and everything’s set, we don’t have to worry about paying, but I’d better shut up and let her have her night even if I hate the place.”

“He’s not wrong, but why are you getting all those messages when I’m not getting any of them?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one that set up the forwarding from the burner phones. You must have screwed something up when you did. That, or it’s because no one likes your dumb ass.”

“Cute.”

“Your ass is not cute.”

Toma laughed, and Shin elbowed him. He ignored it, knowing Shin was capable of much worse if truly provoked. “Come on. Looks like the ones we want are over there. With any luck, we’ll get what we need and wrap this up today. I want to know what your ‘suspicious friends’ are up to.”

“They’re not my friends.”

“Right. Because you don’t have friends.”

“I don’t even know them. Stop being such a pain in the ass, or I will find a way to prove I’m not a cop by shooting you.”

* * *

“So… you are going to come by my school and do that presentation, right?”

Ikki reached over to ruffle Orion’s hair. He didn’t actually want to, since he would like to put his past as a child actor behind him forever. He had a job now he liked—at least when they were letting him be a forensic accountant and not some dressed up recruitment ad—and he’d much rather focus on being a cop, especially if the task force was back together again. Ken kept saying it wasn’t, but Waka said it was, and Waka tended to win in these kinds of things.

It helped that their supervisor got one hell of a figurative black eye over their last case, which might even mean that jerk’s resignation. Not that Waka wanted the job, but he was supposed to be in the lead for it.

“Please?” Orion pressed. “You did say you wanted to meet my math teacher since she was so fond of Kent’s book.”

Ikki laughed. It figured they’d try and bribe him with the chance to meet another woman. He had such bad luck with them, all of them after his fame or fortune, and the few that weren’t obsessed with that couldn’t seem to see him as more than a pretty face. Orion’s math teacher might appreciate his geeky side, but he honestly didn’t even know if it was worth it.

“I’ll think about it. Ken down in the lab? I want to ask him a few things about your sister’s dinner tonight.”

“I think he is. I haven’t seen him since I got home. I still can’t believe she told him first.”

Ikki smiled, tempted to laugh again. Poor baby. Orion wasn’t the sole focus of his sister’s world anymore, and he really didn’t know what to do with that. “You’re still her brother, but you have to admit, Ken’s got you beat when it comes to academic stuff, right?”

“True. He’s so smart it’s scary.”

That time Ikki did laugh, heading down the spiral staircase to the basement floor. He walked into the lab and stopped. “What is this I see? Are you actually _working?” _

“Out, Ikkyu.”

“No, but this is exciting. You did discuss consulting with Waka, and that’s awesome, don’t get me wrong—we all want you back again because team meetings are just not fun enough without you and Shin snarking at each other—but actually seeing you back at it and not repeating experiments from your childhood is unbelievably awesome.”

“You’re being an idiot. Now go away. This is not a matter for you.”

“Anything that concerns you concerns me,” Ikki disagreed. “You said it yourself—your parents as much as adopted me. That makes me your brother and therefore I—”

“Still have no business prying into any of my affairs, be they business or personal,” Ken said, reaching to take his gloves off, and Ikki knew that he would try and push him out in a minute. He ducked away, blinking as he took in the other people in the room.

“Oh, how did I miss your guests?” Ikki grinned as he went to the woman’s side. She had quite the unique hair style. He liked the long strands, very tempting. And those green eyes. Very nice. “Hello, my lovely lady. I am Ikki. It is a real pleasure to meet you.”

He took her hand and kissed it, smiling at her just before the man with her moved in between them, forcing Ikki to drop her hand. Oh, so they were together, was that it? He hadn’t been standing close enough before for Ikki to be sure, but now he was clearly staking a claim.

“Ikkyu.”

“What? Just because they came in together doesn’t make them a couple. I didn’t have any reason to assume they were that kind of close. What if she was his sister? I mean, clearly she’s not—he’s got alpha male claiming his territory all over him same as he does cop, but until he moved, I didn’t know.”

“It’s still not a reason to flirt with every woman you meet.”

Ikki shrugged. “Not everyone’s in a happily committed relationship like you are. Excuse me for being jealous of what you have—and don’t think I’m the only one.”

Ken sighed. “I would apologize for this idiot, but then you would never be able to leave and I do not care to waste so much time.”

“Hey!”

The woman started laughing. “Don’t they remind you a bit of Enomoto and Sasazuka?”

Her companion smiled, but Ikki could not. “Are you seriously comparing me to that guy who’s obsessed with the Edo-period to the point of wearing an eyepatch? One he doesn’t even need? I mean, I may keep low company—I work with Shin and Toma, but you have got to be kidding me. Do I look like the genki character here? Because I can assure you that I’m not. In addition to these incredible good looks and extremely talented hands, I happen to have a brilliant mind. Ken, give me one of your math problems so I can prove it.”

“That’s not necessary,” the man said. “I’m more interested in how you know Enomoto and Sasazuka.”

Ikki grimaced. “A terrible round of PR touring that I hated and never, ever want to repeat. They sent me over to Shinjuku, assigned a couple of people to show me what the various jobs were actually like for the photoshoot they were making me do—and yes, one was Enomoto. The other was Sasazuka. He did try and pull a Shin on me, but when I proved he wasn’t the only genius in the room, he kept his insults for the others instead. Enomoto… Damn, it was almost like working with the reincarnated dead god who danced and put a ritual spell claim on Ken—”

“Ikkyu, if you mention that incident again to _anyone, _I will ensure they cannot find your body.”

Ikki shrugged. “I can’t help it. That man lives on in my nightmares.”

“You… you’re really _that _Ikki? The television star?” She did not seem able to believe that. “My younger brother loved that show when he was little.”

“Damn, that is so going to be the story of my miserable life,” Ikki grumbled, shaking his head. “No. I do not do shows. I do not do autographs. I am a forensic accountant. A damned good one, actually. Best there is in three departments and not just because I’m beautiful.”

“You are not helping your case.” Ken rubbed at his head. “It—I need to do tests that require even more of a sterile environment than this. Please leave. All of you.”

“Here. I’ll walk you out,” Ikki offered. “No need giving me that much of a glare, big guy. I know now that she’s taken. Oh, that’s a sweet blush. You are also a lucky man, and you really don’t need to go collaring her to prove it, you know.”

Her eyes went wide. Her skin lost all that blush and went whiter than a sheet as she put a hand to her neck. “Oh. That’s not… It’s nothing.”

“Oh, that is the biggest _something_ ever,” Ikki said. “Seriously? If he’s abusing you—”

“No! It’s not that. Not at all. Yanagi saved my life.”

“I take it that was put on you by the Zeroes who abducted you and threatened your life?” Ken said, folding his arms over his chest. “And do not bother lying. I am not that stupid. The blouse was hers, you refused to go to the police, and now you are acting strangely about that device around her neck. If it were merely a poor fashion choice or some kind of fetish as Ikkyu suggested, it would not cause that kind of reaction. Even I know that, and it is said I have the emotional understanding of a robot.”

Ikki shook his head. “That wasn’t true even before your parents died. I should know, being your best friend and all.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, tugging on Yanagi’s coat. “Could it be… they want us to work with them? Is that why they haven’t reacted? Or… do they not have the power we thought they did? I don’t… They said no police, but Ikki is with the police. Everyone knows that now. I know he’s not a detective, but he is on that special task force, so… I don’t understand. Why didn’t they do it?”

Yanagi winced. “Hoshino...”

“I should be dead now. Why am I not dead?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kent, Ikki, Shin, Toma, and Ukyo are all part of a task force organized by Waka. Kent is a forensics expert, Ikki a forensic accountant, Shin and Toma are detectives, and Ukyo is a crime scene photographer. Orion is human and the heroine's younger brother that she raised on her own after her parents died. Her name is Kokoa in all my Kent/Heroine fics. Kent's last name is Mizutani, and his parents died before the events of the last story, but they are Daichi and Ayeka respectively. Through a bet, Kent owns a former warehouse turned into an overpriced home. He converted the basement vault into his own lab and spends most of his time there due to his PTSD following the murder of his parents.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichika remembers when she was abducted. They try and figure out a way to deal with the collar, with interruptions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to say too much now, but I did want to explore a bit more of the canon divergence in at least the Collar x Malice side, since the Amnesia part was explained some already. There is more coming for both sides, I'm not done with that by any means, but I knew I needed some more of the Collar x Malice side here since I jumped ahead in the timeline of their case. I was more interested in when the case made the worlds collide, as it were, a weakness of mine.

* * *

_The sound of a voice made Ichika stop and double back to check her route. She swore there hadn’t been anyone in the alley when she passed by it a moment ago, but now it almost sounded like there were many people there, the words indistinct but the sound of them bouncing off the walls of the buildings._

_She looked down the alley again and frowned. She still couldn’t see anyone. She didn’t like this. Taking out her gun, she moved forward, taking each step with care. Maybe she’d just heard animals, but she didn’t want to risk it. She didn’t want to have to hurt anyone, certainly not a stray cat, but if this wasn’t just a cat, she or others could be in danger._

_She checked the whole alley, not seeing anything, just a couple dumpsters, and if there was something in one of them, it would take a better person than her to check them. She would just go back to her patrol and try and forget about this. Maybe she was tired. Maybe it was nothing. It could even be a prank, but she might never know._

_Once again, those words brought up another memory, one full of pain and sadness. She was still missing so much of it, and that regret was constant, not knowing who saved her that day, not knowing his fate, never being able to thank him. She’d become a cop because of him, but he would never know that._

_She shook her head at herself, forcing herself to focus again. She was a cop. She was on patrol. She couldn’t afford distractions, not ever but especially not now when something strange was going on._

_She had just reached the end of the alley again when something darted across the street, and she frowned, about to follow it when she sensed someone behind her. Oh, damn it. Why hadn’t she checked the dumpsters? Not that she could smell garbage now, but either one was large enough for someone to hide in, and they must have._

_She was an idiot._

“_Tell me,” a voice said, almost right in her ear, making her shudder. “Do you think he’ll save you again? Will he come for you?”_

_She turned, already ready to fire, but her shot went wide as something hard connected with her head and everything went black._

* * *

“_What are the Zeroes, you think? Some kind of crazy cult?”_

_Yanagi shook his head. He didn’t think so, much as their claims said they were. To him, all their assertions about faith and purging non-believers seemed false. If they were truly religiously motivated, like other extremists, they’d have more tenets of their beliefs in their statement, but those phrases were the only ones pointing to them being any kind of religious organization._

_Maybe he was assuming too much, but their actions didn’t seem to go along with that, either. True, most terrorists these days picked soft targets at random in high traffic areas to create as much fear as possible. Their point was large scale suffering and confusion, leaving people scared that any day might be their last._

_These people claimed responsibility for small acts of violence. Random ones at first glance, but nowhere near on the scale that other organizations might do. Maybe their followers were few. Maybe they were building to something bigger. Either way, it meant they needed to be stopped before they were able to do worse._

“_I’m not sure yet,” Yanagi was still investigating that part. Their motives weren’t clear, especially not if one didn’t believe their claims of punishing unbelievers. Why only one or two at a time? Why those men in particular? Were the police caving in to political pressure and burying the cases because a full investigation would expose secrets they didn’t want the public knowing? The victims seemed ordinary enough, but that didn’t mean they were._

“_How much longer are you going to wait for them to make another move?” Sasazuka asked, frowning. He’d been pushing for more investigation from the start, always grumbling about how he could do more on his own. With his hacking skills, he might not be wrong about that, but Yanagi wasn’t forcing him to stay or keeping him from using his skills. This impatience came because there was nothing for him to find._

_Another sign, then, that the Zeroes weren’t what they claimed to be._

_He heard something at the door and rose, getting a snort of contempt from Sasazuka as he did. It wasn’t that Yanagi didn’t know that the other man had some kind of deep personal stake in this case—he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t—but that didn’t mean that Yanagi was going to rush anything for his sake, either. He wanted to be sure of what he was doing, and with the Zeroes going to as much trouble to cover their motives as they were, he needed more information._

_He’d stop them in an instant if he had enough, but he didn’t. He couldn’t find them, couldn’t be sure who they’d target next or why. They had to wait. They had no choice._

_Yanagi stopped at the door, reaching down to pick up a piece of paper that must have been slid under it._

A woman will die tonight.

Or can you save her?

You know where to look.

_Yanagi stared at the paper in disbelief. Was this a joke? He knew they couldn’t afford to ignore it even if it was._

“_What is it?”_

_He passed the paper to Enomoto, reaching for his jacket. As he pulled it on, Enomoto let out a loud noise like he was in one of his period dramas._

“_Shut up, stupid. What is it, Yanagi?” Sasazuka grabbed the paper from Enomoto and frowned. “Do you know where?”_

_Yanagi didn’t want to admit it, but he might. If this was what he thought it was… “All of us better think and check the place we think most likely. We’ll meet up if we don’t find anything check other places. Go. Now.”_

_The others nodded, and all three of them went their separate ways into the night._

* * *

“_Just like a nightmare… but how do they even know this one?”_

_Ichika opened her eyes, looking up at a shadow. At first it was a black blur of a monster, and she felt sure she was going to die, but as her vision cleared, she saw a man. Just an ordinary man, but his eyes… so blue. So worried. She felt as if she knew them._

_She tried to move, to open her mouth and speak, but she couldn’t._

Help me, _she begged, though he would not hear her as she made no sound._

“_It’s okay,” he told her. “I’m here. You’re not alone.”_

_She almost closed her eyes in relief, the only thing she could do, but she didn’t want to close them and lose sight of him. He touched her head, brushing back some of her hair._

“_It is you, it has to be, but how did they know?”_

_She managed to swallow and then open her mouth. The words came out jumbled, and he just looked sadder as he took her hand. Was he just trying to keep her calm? He was going to be here with her when she died, and in some ways, that was a comfort, but it also wasn’t._

_He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”_

_She tried again. _ _She had so many questions, but only one came out. _ _“...why… not... dead?”_

* * *

“You think it’s the fortress, Ken?” Ikki asked Mizutani, who put a hand on his chin, considering his friend’s words. _Fortress. _The word sounded almost nice to Ichika, who was near panic, confused and scared. “Since your security system has all those built-in counter measures against intrusion and a closed network, it could be interfering with any signal that might be being sent to that collar.”

“It is possible,” Mizutani said. “Cell phone signals are sometimes disrupted in the lab anyway, since it is in the basement underneath the house and this was originally a vault for art and other valuables. I suppose it is possible a sophisticated hacker could break into the system somewhere, but it has never been breached in that manner to my knowledge.”

“This… was a vault?” Ichika asked, looking around her in confusion. She only saw lab equipment and hadn’t asked since Mizutani clearly didn’t want them making any kind of small talk. Not that they could say much—up until a few minutes ago, she’d been worried she’d say too much and die.

She was alive. These two knew about the collar and the Zeroes, and yet she wasn’t dead.

“Oh, there is a whole story to that, but in the interest of brevity in a life-threatening situation, we’ll leave it at Ken won this house in a bet with a rich jerk. The house and everything in it, actually. So he sold the art and made himself a lab because our boy here is a first class nerd.”

“As are you,” Mizutani said, and Ikki shrugged, smiling slightly. “Do not ask him to elaborate on that matter. He always exaggerates.”

“They can just find the video on You Tube if they don’t believe me.”

She didn’t think Yanagi believed them, but if she lived through this, she might just look it up herself. ““Is it possible it’s not your house? We chose to try and ask you for the forensics because you were distant from the department… No, wait, I just said everyone knew Ikki was a cop now...”

Yanagi put a hand on her shoulder, and it was so soothing, warmth went through her and down her back. She wasn’t alone. He was here, steadying her even though she was a stranger to him. “Is there a way to test and see if it is something in this lab or your house?”

Mizutani nodded. “Yes, I think it would be possible. Yet, it is likely that if this group has the reach they’ve threatened with the collar, the simplest test would almost assuredly be fatal. If you were to walk outside to see if they could reach you, they would most likely kill you for being out of contact."

She gripped Yanagi’s arm, needing to stay calm. He was like a rock in all of this, stability she could and did cling to, giving her the strength to keep going in spite of the fear and everything that wanted to make her break down and cry. She couldn’t give up. She wouldn’t. She had to know who had done this to her. She would find them. She would stop them.

Yanagi would be with her when she did.

“We’re not sending her outside,” Yanagi said. “What other options are there?”

“I think calculating the frequency the device is operating at would be the easiest. If one can determine what waves are being blocked by the equipment or structure, then it may be possible to create something that would continue to block the signal regardless of where she was—or simply allow one to remove it without any loss of life.”

“You think you can?” Ichika’s panic had become hope so fast she didn’t know what to think. The idea of freedom, being able to get this thing off her neck, it was almost unbelievable.

“We might not want to rush that,” Yanagi said, and she looked at him. He seemed pained as he continued. “They warned us not to try and remove it because it would kill you. We don’t know for sure that they were planning on doing it remotely. It could be booby-trapped, and if we try and take it off even with the signal blocked, it could kill you.”

“Or Ken, and we’re not about to risk that. We’ve already had too many close calls with him lately.”

“That is not true. I was only abducted once, and that was not—”

“The fact that you were abducted once is more than enough,” Ikki assured him, shuddering. “And don’t think you can deny that you almost died when your parents did, either. That took years off my life. I’d say I need hazard pay as your friend, but then I remember what you had to put up with as my tutor during those years of hell as a child actor, and I think I still owe you.”

Mizutani nodded. “That may be true to an extent, considering how many times you got drunk and vomited on me. Though in comparison to the medication I was on—”

“Can you remove the collar safely?” Ichika couldn’t help interrupting. She did find them funny, but this was her life. She needed to know.

Mizutani grimaced. “It is impossible to be certain without any closer examination, which as your friend already observed, could be fatal. I have no training in disabling explosive devices. No one on our team does.”

“They used a poison before,” Yanagi said, and Ichika flinched with the memory. “A paralytic. She couldn’t move. Could barely speak.”

“Poison is different,” Mizutani said, and it was his friend’s turn to grimace. “It may be possible, though it depends on the injection site. Also, it may be possible to have a counter agent in place first, though that would require knowing which poison it was. There are many paralytics, but considering our general location, there are some obvious choices...”

He walked away, and Ichika stared at him as paced, still talking to himself.

“Don’t worry,” Ikki smiled at them. “He’s just thinking. It’s what he does.”

Yanagi wasn’t comforted by that. “Even if he can figure out what poison might be in the collar, we won’t be able to get a hold of an antidote for it.”

“Don’t be so sure of that.”

Yanagi gave him a hard stare, but Ikki didn’t so much as flinch.

“You haven’t met our boss yet.”

* * *

“Don’t say that, Ikki. You know that always makes him appear.”

Ikki laughed, looking over at the new arrival. He wasn’t surprised to hear that from Mine, who was always getting spooked by Waka’s sudden appearances. He wouldn’t have been surprised to hear it from Shin or Toma, either, though they should still be working.

“Fallacy. Waka is not omnipresent nor some kind of supernatural figure.”

“I still think he may have a teleporter,” Ikki said, and Ken glared at him, though not all of that annoyance was directed at him.

“I believe I made it very clear my lab was off limits to you and the other loud one,” Ken said as he folded his arms over his chest. “Why are you in here interrupting my work? I have very important things to do, and you could not hope to help with them, not that you would.”

“Hey, that’s not—well, no, I don’t want any part of your freaky lab experiments. Sometimes I wonder why I ever thought you were even the least bit cute. Mostly I just wonder what she sees in you,” Mine said, shaking her head. “That doesn’t matter. You have to tell Kokoa she should go shopping with us. Do that, and I will leave.”

Ken put a hand to his head. “Why would I ever do that?”

“Because she’s your girlfriend—ah, no arguing with me over the semantics of labels, you two are dating now and she lives with you—and you get the added bonus of enjoying whatever nice thing she puts on,” Ikki said, and Ken’s glower just got worse. “Please. Like you don’t think she’s cute. You get so flustered whenever she dresses up nice… though actually, you get flustered when she puts on one of your shirts, so...”

“I will never understand how you can be so flippant under circumstances like this,” Ken muttered. He turned back to Mine. “I am not telling her to go shopping if she doesn’t want to. That is not the kind of relationship we have. I don’t care what she wears as long as she likes it and it is not dangerous to her health. Now get out of my lab. And Ikkyu—you go with her.”

“No. Not until—wait. Who are you?” Mine came further into the lab. “You’re here for Kent? Kent never has guests.”

“I’m working. Get out.”

“They’re friends of Shin’s, actually.”

Mine snorted. “Shin does not have friends.”

“My friend Kotoho knows Shin,” the woman said, “and she put us in touch, but this is actually about a matter of life and death, so—”

“So leave the boys to it and come shopping with us,” Mine said, taking hold of Hoshino and pulling her toward the door. “It’ll be a lot more fun.”

“That would be unwise.”

Mine jumped, letting out a bit of a squeak and letting go of Hoshino to duck behind Ikki. He tried not to laugh. “I told you you’d make him come by talking about him.”

Ken sighed. “Such complete idiocy.”

Waka nodded in agreement, making Mine wince again as the other two watched warily. “I came to speak to Kent on other matters, though I am pleased to see he is working again.”

“Tentative agreement to work as a consultant on a provisional basis does not mean I am ‘back,’ so stop grinning, Ikkyu,” Ken said, and Ikki made a point to grin even wider. “Take Mine upstairs before she breaks something or kills someone. I suppose you can even ask Kokoa to go shopping with the two of them so that they will not be here to interfere with my work again.”

While Ikki understood Ken shooing off Mine, he didn’t feel he should have to stay away. “Hey, I can be very helpful in finding that frequency you were talking about earlier. I mean, yes, it may be more valuable if we can get Waka’s access to every poison known to man, but I am every bit the math genius you are, Ken.”

Ken snorted, adjusting his glasses. “Yes, which is why my math puzzles still make you cry.”

“Vicious, vicious lies. I never did any such thing.”

“Actually, my brother owns the boxed set with the behind the scenes featurettes, and you did,” Hoshino said, making Ikki frown. Waka had one of his faint smiles of amusement now, and the outright betrayal all around Ikki stung.

“Hoshino.”

She shrugged. “I’m sorry. Kazuki was obsessed with Ikki when he was younger. He was also very clingy, so he always wanted to be close to me when he was watching the show. I must have that thing memorized by now.”

Ikki had to wince. “Damn. Not another one.”

Yanagi frowned. “Another one?”

“Oh, yeah. Kokoa’s brother Orion is a big time Ikki fan. I mean, back in the day we all kind of were, but Orion was worse than me, and I belong to the fan club,” Mine said. “Kokoa raised him and wanted to make him happy, so she’d save up to give him special merchandise whenever she could. Our restaurant followed a Western model so we worked based on tips—which could be bad sometimes because it’s not exactly popular here—but sometimes she got someone who gave her extra and she’d treat him to a book or something. She saved all year to get him the boxed set when he was ten.”

“Oh. That’s sweet.”

“This discussion should not be happening now. Ikkyu, for the last time, take Mine and go.”

“Hey, I was just—”

“Ikki,” Waka said, and he did grimace then because he knew _that _tone. Then again, it _was _Waka. He could have done it with a look, too.

“Come on, Mine. Let’s go.”

* * *

Yanagi looked at Hoshino again. She seemed calmer now that she’d had a moment to bond with the other woman, but he could not forget that her life was still threatened. The collar was silent now, but that didn’t mean she was safe. If them listening to her was the only way these people were watching, this room was a temporary refuge, but considering the lengths they’d gone to already—finding an incident that had no official record that he knew of, reenacting it with the same players involved in the first place. If that had ended differently than Yanagi knew it had, the answer would be obvious.

Only that man was dead, and it couldn’t be him, but who else knew? Someone close to her? Yanagi hadn’t told anyone about it. His family knew, since he’d only been sixteen at the time, but he hadn’t spoken to them in years.

“Morioka speaks highly of you despite how you disappointed him.”

Yanagi frowned, looking over at the man who’d spoken. He’d come so quietly that Yanagi hadn’t heard the door open, and he’d scared that pink haired woman. The other seemed used to this and had even spoken freely of the man’s access to poison. He was the boss Ikki had spoken of, though Waka had a reputation of his own. It probably eclipsed Morioka’s, though it wasn’t likely Yanagi’s former supervisor would admit he cared that it did.

“I think it might be harder to please him.”

“True enough,” Waka agreed, “but since you quit smoking and later being a cop, you clearly were not trying to do that.”

Yanagi shrugged. “I didn’t do it for him or because of him. I started smoking when I was a young punk. I’m not that anymore.”

“And you became a cop because you had ideals.”

“Exactly what did Morioka tell you?” Yanagi asked. “I’ve never known him to be that talkative.”

Mizutani snorted, and Waka nodded. “True, I am not, either, not in most respects, as Kent knows well, having been the one to take on that role when I did not. And I’m sure Kent would also point out that I do not need anyone to be talkative by nature. A great many people find silence around me intimidating and will gladly fill it with anything and everything they possibly can, whether I look at them or not.”

Yanagi wasn’t sure he’d buy that of Morioka, but he had a feeling that even if these two didn’t talk, they had some level of mutual respect for each other. Waka was rumored former military—black ops, really, a spy or an assassin—and one of the youngest captains on record in the police force. He’d also forged a task force with a high closure rate. Morioka was a section head who had formed his own special directive, pulling in former street punks like Yanagi and helping them find a way to make right what they’d done in the past.

“You knew we were coming.”

Waka smiled thinly. “I am said to know everything, but that is not quite true.”

“If you had known and failed to warn me, we would need to have another discussion,” Mizutani said. “Provisional does not mean random cases from Shin’s strange friends and possibly getting killed in my own lab because no one will tell the truth about anything.”

“They told us they’d kill Hoshino if we went to the police or told anyone about the collar. Considering how I found her, paralyzed and near dead, I didn’t think it was worth risking unless we could be sure we could remove that thing. Even now we don’t know that we can. We don’t even know that the signal—if there is a signal at all—is being blocked by this lab.”

She winced, and Yanagi regretted saying it like that and upsetting her. That hadn’t been his intention, but he’d be damned if he’d let someone call him a coward and a liar for doing what he had to in order to keep her alive.

“We have no conclusive proof yet, no. Still, it seems rather likely, since she is clearly alive,” Mizutani said. He put a hand to his head. “Since they put that thing on her neck when she was taken, I paid attention to the area around the neck of that blouse—don’t look at me like that. I am not an idiot. Even I noticed you were touching your neck far more often than someone else might, which suggested an injury in the abduction, one I already knew was yours even though you did not tell me that until I said something. I believe there may even be fingerprints on the buttons, but the tests I need to run require a more sterile environment, one I cannot get with you in here. So we must resolve the issue of that collar first.”

“Agreed,” Waka said. “I will remove it.”


End file.
